Michael Douglas Claims Kobe Bryant Always Used This Excuse to Stop by Catherine Zeta-Jones’ House Before Marrying Vanessa
Michael Douglas just dropped a bombshell many people never thought they’d hear when he shared that one of his romantic rivals after he began dating Catherine Zeta-Jones was the late basketball legend, Kobe Bryant.
The Romancing the Stone actor shared this little-known detail about his wife and the Los Angeles Lakers superstar in his memoir, One Helluva Ride, released on Oct. 6. As Entertainment Weekly noted, Douglas explained that back in 1998, he and Zeta-Jones were trying to maintain a long-distance relationship while he was based in New York and she was living in LA.
“She had a house in the Palisades, right below Kobe Bryant’s,” Douglas wrote.
The Fatal Attraction star recalled that Bryant, who had not yet met his future wife Vanessa, frequently found reasons to visit Zeta-Jones’ home.
“Apparently Kobe kept finding excuses to stop by Catherine’s house,” Douglas said. “I’m not sure how many times he ‘lost his dog,’ but it was a lot!”
Douglas also explained that Zeta-Jones’ increasingly busy film career meant she was often away from Los Angeles. She was working on movies including Entrapment with Sean Connery and High Fidelity with John Cusack. Despite their physical distance, Douglas said he and Zeta-Jones remained in regular contact.
It’s not known how close the actress and athlete became, but eventually Zeta-Jones and Douglas got more serious and were engaged on New Year’s Eve in 1999. They married the following year on Nov. 18, 2000, and have been together ever since. Bryant met Vanessa in 1999 and proposed in May 2000. They tied the knot on April 18, 2001.
On Jan. 26, 2020, Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others, were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, while en route to the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks.
Following his death, Zeta-Jones confirmed their connection as neighbors in a moving tribute on Instagram, remembering when they first met, writing, “24 years ago, ironically, Kobe was my next door neighbor in Pacific Palisades in LA … We met the day he moved in through his dog, that started to, and continued to wander into my garden. His basketball court was my view. I watched his talent and dedication, yet how could I have known that he was to become what he became. Being a Daddy today took his life and that of his precious daughter. Unimaginable loss to all. Love to the families.”
Vanessa also posted after their deaths, saying, “We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna –There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now … I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved.”
